Shannon Sharpe May Not Have a Natural Allegiance to Losers, But He Does Have One to Comedians

Shannon Sharpe may have one of the most interesting career stories to date. He played 14 seasons in the NFL and earned his rights as of the league’s most regarded tight ends. During his time on the field, he amassed more than 10,000 rushing yards— one of the first NFL tight ends to do so— before taking his talents to sports journalism after retirement. But now, he’s showing us that his talents don’t stop there. 

Before leaving his hit series, “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed”, the former pro baller decided he wanted to try his hand at podcasting, and Sharpe is truly having his moment in the spotlight. Easily one of the most viewed forms of digital media of this decade, Shannon Sharpe recently solidified himself among the podcast greats with his now viral interview with comedian Katt Williams on his show, “Club Shay Shay”, which has over 55 million views.

But what really makes his approach stand out from others? Sharpe opens up to us over a recent Zoom interview.

“The biggest thing for me is that when guests come on [Club Shay Shay], I make them feel comfortable. I don’t need to hear my voice, I invited them on to tell their stories,” Sharpe shares with EBONY from his personal home studio. “I tell people, if you want hard-hitting investigative reporting, my show isn’t for you. What I’ve found is that guests who come on my show share things with me that they haven’t shared anywhere else, or at least things they may not have shared in a very long time. It’s not about me, it’s about them.”

While he’s not locked in to one type of guest by any means, it seems as though the viral host has a natural allegiance to comedians— or, at least they’re the ones who seem to have his most viewed episodes thus far. From Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer to newcomer Kountry Wayne and of course Katt Williams, Sharpe says he’s a naturally funny guy himself, so the bond with comedians comes easy. 

“They know how to tell stories, it’s what they do. They take real life events and make them funny. So, I just do my part to get them to open up as much as I can, then sit back and let them take it from there.”

For the former athlete, being charismatic and having that bond with comedians recently landed him a commercial with comedic heavy-hitter Martin Lawrence. The two will appear together in an OIKOS Greek Yogurt ad spot during the “big game’.

“He’s one of the all-time greats in comedy. For OIKOS to pair me with Martin for this national spot is unbelievable. For me to be there and see how he maneuvers, I understood what I was around and just absorbed it all. I can just imagine doing a movie or sitcom with him. Greatness is greatness, and I was just glad to be around it.”

Speaking of the big screen or even seeing him on our televisions in a greater way, we had to ask Sharpe if that could potentially be his next move. After all, he’s shown what he can do on the field, as an entrepreneur with his always sold out cognac, behind the analyst chair and now as a successful podcast host. So, acting would only make sense. Right?

“To be honest, it’s not something I’ve thought about. I just knew that when I got my own podcast, I didn’t want to exclusively interview athletes,” the Club Shay Shay lead man says. “If I wanted people to take me serious, I had to learn to speak to different types of people. Now what has happened is people no longer look at me as just an ex-athlete, they look at me as a celebrity; an entertainer. That is what I was going for.”

With three seasons under his belt since 2020, Sharpe says he’s just grateful for it all. Grateful that his passion has led him to being a viral sensation, and grateful that it’s now landed him his first national spot with someone he considers to be a legend. But, he makes it clear, he’s prepared for anything that comes his way. Especially if that means a phone call from Oprah.
“Oprah is the queen! Man, if Oprah came to sit on the couch at Club Shay Shay, I would definitely clear my schedule— even if I already had someone slated that day,” he says jokingly.

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